Switching apparatus foe street oars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

E. G. JAY.

SWITGHING APPARATUS FOR STREET CARS. I No. 579,984. Patented AprQG,1897.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. G. JAY. SWITGHING'APPARATUS FOR STREET CARS.

No. 579,984. Patented Apr. 6; 1 897.

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Edward 6. J9,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD G. JAY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS'TOSAMUEL S. JAY, OF ABERDEEN, AND JOHN G. JAY, OF BAL- TIMORE, MARYLAND.

SWITCHING APPARATUS FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,984, dated April 6,1897.

Application filed July 9, 1896. Serial No. 598,580. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. J AY, acitizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSwitching Apparatus for Street-Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

Ordinarily street cars are switched by means of a pivoted tongue orrail-section operated either manually, by the weight of the horse, by apull-chain, or by a shifting device carried by the car. In bad weatherthis pivoted rail is apt to get out of order, and there is alwaysliability of an obstruction interferin g with its proper operation.

The object of my invention is to switch street-cars, and particularlycable and electric cars, by improved devices carried by the car, whichengage with properly-formed stationary rails at the various switches. v

In carrying out my invention I provide a small wheel or trolley, andmount it in suitable bearings in a strong upright frame pivoted to moveabout a vertical axis in a stout bearingbracket close to one of thefront wheels of the car. A handle on the front platform within easyreach of the driver or motorman is connected with the trolley-carryingframe and enables the motorman to shift it to switch the car in thedesired direction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of aportion of a streetcar with my improvements applied. Fig. 2 shows atransverse section 011 the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a detailview in section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagramillustrating the shape of the grooved rails at the switch and the mannerin which the switch-trolley and the main carrying-wheel of the cartraverse the grooves. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the handle employed foroperating the switch-trolley. Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modificationof my invention.

My improvements may be applied to streetcars of all sorts. In thedrawings they are shown as applied to a street-car of well-knownconstruction. The switch wheel or trolley A is provided withlaterallyprojecting studaxles a, having bearings in the forked orbifurcated end of a vertical supporting-frame B. This frame isshouldered at b and b, the reduced portion 12 having a bearing in abracket 0, firmly bolted to the forwardly-projecting end of one of theside beams D of the truck. The trolley is of a width about sufficient tofill the groove of an ordinary grooved rail. As shown in Fig. 2,however, it does not quite extend to the bottom thereof, although itswidth is approximately the same as that of the groove. It isapproximately of the same general shape as the flange on the ordinarycar-wheel. The supporting-frame B is made strong and capable ofwithstand ing any lateral strain to which it may be subjected. It ismade short, so that there is but little leverage between its upper andlower ends, and therefore lateral strain applied to the trolley A willbe transmitted directly to the truck-frame and will correspondinglyshift the main carrying-wheels. A link E is pivotally connected at e tothe upper end of the frame B, and its front end is connected at 6,preferably by a ball-and-socket joint, with an operating-lever F, whichis pivoted at f to the platform of the car, through which it extends,and at its upper end is provided withahandle f. A guide Gof ordinaryconstruction may be employed, and this may be provided withaspring-boltg of ordinary construction adapted to engage with arecess g in theoperating-lever when it is in the central position indicated in Fig. 2.hen the bolt is thus engaged, the operating-lever will not be moved bythe ordinary jolting of the car, but it may be moved in either directionwithout any manipulation of the bolt at the will of the operator.

It is a matter of considerabte importance that the switching-trolleyshould be located close to one of the main carrying-wheels, because ifit were located, for instance, at the front of the platform the carwould be shifted to such an extent before the front carryingwheelsarrived at the switch that they would jump the track; but, as indicatedin Fig. 4, where the carrying-wheel immediately follows theswitching-trolley, it will be deflected in the proper direction and to asufficient extent only to cause it to traverse the same groove as thattraversed by the trolley. The switchingtrolley, it will be alsoobserved, is close to the truck-frame. Its supporting-frame and thebearing-bracket maybe made strong and substantial, and thus capable ofwithstanding all strains without distortion.

The operating mechanism shown is that preferred, but obviously it may bevaried. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 4 that no pivotedtongue or pivoted rail-section is employed. A straight groove X joinsthe branching grooves Y and Z in such manner as to permit theswitching-trolley to be shifted in the desired direction and to permitthe main carrying-wheel to move correspondingly with the lateralmovement of the trolley. Two such trolleys might be employed, one oneach side of the car, but one is found to be sufficient.

In Fig. 6 a modification is shown. In this instance the frame B has acollar at it, between which and the bracket 0 is interposed a spiralspring .00. A collar 00 is arranged on the portion b of the frame whichextends through the bearing-bracket O, and limits the downward movementof the frame, the construction being such that the trolley-wheel A mayhave a slight Vertical movement when meeting obstructions in the track.The upper end of the axle b has a crank-arm 00 conneted by a link 00 tothe lower end of an operating-lever X. By this lever the motorman mayturn the wheel to the right or to the left in the manner beforedescribed.

I claim as my invention The combination of the wheels and axle, thetruck-frame having the side beams D extending over the axle, thecar-body resting,

on springs mounted on the side beams, the switching-trolley, thevertical frame in which it is mounted and the axis of which is in linewith the flange on one of the front wheels so that the trolley maytraverse the groove of a grooved rail, a bracket secured to one of theside beams close to the edge of one of the front wheels and in which thetrolley-supporting frame has its bearing and is free to move about avertical axis, a handle for operating the trolley frame, rods connectingthe handle with the frame, and a stationary switch-point in the trackwith which the trolley engages to shift the car bodily.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EDIVARD G. JAY. lVitn esses:

JAMES C. MIDLER, J. W. ARMSTEAD.

